


Unmade

by PinkROmantic



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Adventure, Canon Characters may go by different names, Child Soldiers, Coming of Age, Enemies to Friends, Fantastic Racism, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Multi, Mystery, Post BotW, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Child Timeline, Trans Female Character, Worldbuilding, Yiga Sheik
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22026580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkROmantic/pseuds/PinkROmantic
Summary: Link, an earnest Hero untouched by the call of fate.Sheik, a Sheikah child taken and raised to serve the Yiga Clan.Garson, a lofty young man who is meant to inherit a dark destiny.This is the story of a reincarnation cycle in which the Royal Family is no more and no Princess Zelda exists to fight off the incoming dark clouds of fate.
Relationships: Ganondorf & Link (Legend of Zelda), Ganondorf & Sheik (Legend of Zelda), Link & Sheik & Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda), Link & Sheik (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. Unbroken

**Author's Note:**

> This is a re-post of the same fanfic that I published months ago. I had to erase and rewrite some parts of it and rework some plot points from the original version that bothered me or just didn't work anymore with the themes I wanted to work with.
> 
> I hope that people will like this version a little more. Thanks for your understanding and thanks for reading.

His town started to call him a Hero when he first killed a man. He was only a child back then, and it was mostly by accident; the man just happened to be extremely dangerous and the child happened to be wielding a very sharp pitchfork. But killing a bad man was all what it took for his town to begin treating him differently.

The town of New Akkala was one of the biggest in the region, and it was still growing. After 'saving' them from that bandit, his father begun to take him on bigger hunt trips and patrols to have him prove his worth. It helped the child to sharpen his aptitude with the bow, but he was eventually forced to learn how to wield a sword and a shield when lizalfos, moblins and bokoblins started to show up more on the western hills during times of harvest to assault and terrorize farmers. Hunt after hunt, everyone praised the kid, even when he didn't get to do as good as others.

One time when he was fourteen, he managed to ambush and terminate an group of 10 intruder bokoblins all by himself through explosives. He suffered a concussion and burns during the attack, but people liked to omit that part when the story was retold every time.

By the time that he reached his twenties, he was a modestly renowned swordsman knight, a role model for the youth, a proud protector to New Akkala, worthy of the name Link. And it wasn't like 'Link' was an uncommon name, quite the opposite, as many people commemorated the Hero of Legend and liked to name their sons and daughters after him. For him those were some large boots to fill in, as his father was thoroughly convinced that he had to be the reincarnated Hero in the flesh.

“Son, there's no shame in what you are. You do everything you do in the name of all that is good, isn't that right?”, his mother would tell him, knowing all too well how this 'heroic' business would weigh on him, in contrast with how his father would press him harder every time. Link didn't really resent his father for this, he owed him for the fruits of his work...

But after a long time, Link realized how little his father truly listened to him.

“He's always been a dreamer, that man. Your father always had the illusion of living long enough to see the Hero of Legend rise again... I know he's projecting a little on you, but let him find comfort in seeing you get the glory that he thinks you deserve” she would say, and Link understood. Didn't make the burden any lighter, but he understood perfectly how important it was for them. Everyone knew the tales, and young kids learned to want to be the like Hero... nor Link nor his father were the exception.

But with such grand dreams came also great disillusions.

He had been called a Hero, he saved people from dangers by killing things... so why didn't Link feel like one?

People could be scholars, farmers, merchants, artists, scientists... but he was just good at killing things. Being a Hero had to be more than that, right?

Sure, he managed to rid of monsters threatening the locals, and several times he's gotten hurt to protect people. But so did the other knights who joined him to fight. As strong as he was, he didn't do anything near as legendary or heroic like saving an entire kingdom from the clutches of evil, as the tales so majestically told again and again. And deep inside, Link knew that he wouldn't hesitate to jump into the quest if the chance ever arose.

It was an itching he had for years, the feeling of emptiness, the lack of purpose that weighed on him as he realized how long he's waited for it to happen, as if the anticipation for cataclysm was some sort of second nature etched into him from birth. It wasn't as if he wanted something bad to happen, but for some reason he always felt ready to answer that call.

He yearned for a familiar voice to call at him, to greet him like an old friend. There was a person that he's been waiting to meet, a person who'd give him a reason.

But maybe that was all wishful thinking.

The land of Hyrule stopped being a monarchy a long time ago. There was no known royal family anymore, hence there was no need for Princesses anymore.

And if there was no Princess to call out to him, then maybe there was no need for a Hero of legend.

... And wasn't that for the best?

* * *

200 years had passed since the Calamity Ganon was slain by the Princess and her knight, freeing Hyrule from its oppressive shadow and allowing its people to prosper once again.

Since the Calamity ravaged and reduced the kingdom to mere shambles of its former glory, the path of rebuilding and inspiring its people to come together again was long and arduous, and it needed a new and effective direction. For that, Princess Zelda, last of her lineage, shed her royal title and worked to implement a new form of government for her people.

Her efforts alongside her loyal knight, Link, were met with setbacks and even opposition at times, but with the help of their numerous supporters, they managed to unify Hyrule once more. After a lifetime of work for the betterment of Hyrule, Zelda stepped down from her seat in the council she created and disappeared into anonymity during the last decades of her life. Her knight disappeared too, almost at the same time.

Although the true nature of their relationship was left a complete mystery to the world, there never was a doubt that they both cared deeply for each other.

But even now, it is known that behind their path of righteous deeds, a long shadow was cast after their wretched path… and as such, Hyrule was still be haunted by its past ghosts, some more alive than the others.

* * *

Perhaps it was merely dumb luck, or maybe he’s gotten good, but fighting off those lizalfos thieves with what little he knew of magic proved to be useful. Granted, it only helped him to amplify his moving speed for a short momentum, but it was enough to take the reptile-like outlaws by surprise, striking them down with the dull-edged sword he carried; it was pretty useless to cut anything but it was perfect for clubbing thieves. He successfully scared the rest of them away from his fellow merchant Beedle and the nameless musician that traveled close to them.

The good-natured Beedle was relieved and equally impressed “Never seen that kind of magic before, Garson, that was nuts!” but the younger merchant shrugged it off, insisting that he wasn't that great at magic anyway. He learned a few things before dropping out of college anyway, so he was glad that the magic could be worked around his own skills.

However, Beedle was right about never seeing this sort of enchantment. Common folk knew little about magic and what arts were taught normally, but it was expected that anyone knowledgeable enough could sense when dark arts were at play. The musician who didn't say anything after the altercation probably realized this, but Garson decided to pay no mind.

“You shouldn't be using that sort of power to carelessly”, said the musician with cold voice. Garson sighed, trying to conceal his annoyance. Just last night the musician was friendly enough to ask him about the merchant guild and who would be selling in New Akkala. The pale-looking man eyed him with wariness. “You could easily hurt yourself and others with that.”

His past mentor scrutinized him about his interest in obscure magic, which was honestly fair given its unsavory history, but he knew that it had its vantages when used correctly. Of course, he later was questioned about his aptitude for magic and eventually felt so discouraged that he decided to return home... with a few mementos from college.

After learning as much as he could, Garson decided that it was time to develop his more natural talents and became a traveling merchant just like his uncle did. It's true that the job was fulfilling, but the true reason why he decided to do it was because he got to travel across the land and learn many things. Even if he was admittedly more of a brawn than a brain, he still enjoyed obtaining new knowledge. In the past couple of years as a traveling merchant he learned far more than he did in the few years that he spent at Hyrule Castletown.

When he arrived to New Akkala, he was taken aback with how big and pretty it got from the last time he visited since he was a child. The safety also seemed significantly improved, given the Harvest Festival ready to take place. The Hero's statue at the central square also looked restored, even more impressive than the one at Hyrule Castle. It wasn't that strange that people worshiped the legendary Hero, almost every town across the land had a statue for him.

He didn't ponder too much on that when he started to present his goods on the market place, sitting down behind the mat where he put his merchandise. Even though he wouldn't stand out too much between the other sellers it always put a grin on his face when curious people asked him about his unusual wares.

Sometimes people were surprised to find out that most of the articles he sold were crafted by the moblin and bokoblin, it awakened a morbid curiosity that just compelled them to buy. It wasn't correct to profit from people's morbidity towards those they considered monsters, but he needed to get that sweet revenue from somewhere.

After selling out most of his moblin-made cutlery, it came to his attention that a young man had been staring at his wares for quite a while, as if he was judging every single object on display with knowing eyes.

“See anything you'd like?” he asked politely. Striking blue eyes looked back at him with a little of embarrassment and quickly shook his head.

The man looked about his same age, if not younger. He was carrying a large bag already packed with vegetables and the sort, and behind his back there was a large wooden shield with a protruding sword hilt behind his shoulder. A guard knight, maybe?

“Wasn’t it hard to get all of this? It's all 'blin craft.” The young knight's voice was a mix between apprehension and concern.

“I assume by your face that you've seen these before, right? But don't worry, I didn't have to fight them to get my wares. I travel north Eldin, where they are open to trade”, he said with his classic matter-of-fact mug, but the other just furrowed his brow in doubt. “...You don't believe me, do you? I admit that it's a little hard, even risky at times to thread there, but factions of them are actually pretty nice... specially to those who wear the merchant's guild badge.”

Before Garson could stop himself, he went on ranting again about it and ended up making the knight look uncomfortable. He felt himself blush but refused to let it make a dent on his stance.

“I suppose...” the knight murmured.

“So, if you're still interested...” the young merchant shrugged, but the knight shook his head.

“No, I don't want to bother you anymore, sorry.”

The blue eyed knight turned and walked away, not without glancing back with a pensive look.

The young merchant sighed. _That was awkward_.

By the time it was midday and he remembered that he needed to book himself at an inn. He didn't want to close early today, but if he didn't hurry he'd be forced to sleep outside, again.

Besides... there was something that he wanted to check before night, his gut was telling him that there was something _off_ about the musician that he met earlier. He really hoped his gut feeling would be right, otherwise he'd feel stupid for worrying over nothing.

He looked again at the Hero's statue. It was… funny. Upon closer examination, the statue looked a lot like that knight guy.

* * *

The flutist started its cheerful song and kids around the market seemed to come closer, especially the younger ones, all drawn like moths to the flame. Sheik observed this from afar, as her eyes looked back and forth among stands with so many colorful people. There were people from all ethnicities visiting, from Goron to Zora, Gerudo to Rito, the Harvest Festival in this town was renowned for celebrating bigger than most towns, except maybe in Hyrule Castletown; and because of its historical site, it helped to garner plenty of visitors, traders included.

It was almost thrilling to be in such a lively place, if it were not for the fact that she and her partner were unwelcome and on a task at hand. Speaking of whom, it seemed like she couldn't keep still for more than a minute; it was beginning to get annoying.

“What's on your mind? You've been pacing around too much” Sheik muttered.

“We're running out of time and it'll be nightfall before we know. Where's that damned merchant? Laeg told us that he was going to be here today.” Ashei, Sheik's sole companion, had lost what little color she had left in her face, even though she could very well have a steely face, her body language betrayed her so easily.

For their mission, they were meant to get into town to find a certain merchant for one particular object supposedly in his possession... It was in these sorts of tasks for which they needed to dress up like civilians to bypass local security, and since it was a festive time, it was more than a perfect opportunity to blend in with the common folk. Ashei was given a white tunic with worn red pants whereas Sheik donned a sky-blue sash over a grey tunic with brown pants, she pulled her white bangs over the left side of her face to cover the obvious eye-patch. No matter where she went, strangers would always stare at one-eyed people, so it was better to keep people's gaze averted elsewhere.

“If you keep showing nervousness, you're just going to give yourself away. Perhaps the man is at one of the inns already.”

“He’d better be. Even if we succeed at finding him, Mistress Melana will reprimand us for not reporting back early.”

Sheik repressed a chill at the thought and nodded. She knew too well what the Mistress was capable of if anybody disappointed her.

“Right. Then let's split up and meet at the town's main square there within an hour. And Ashei... be careful.”

Ashei's shoulders relaxed a little and walked past her partner. “Keep that one eye open.”

The young girl got lost in the crowd, and Sheik did the same in the opposite direction.

Being among people without explicitly targeting anyone with a weapon was... strange, almost reassuring. It made the everlasting weight on her shoulders to feel less suffocating, yet that only made her feel even more restless too. These people had no idea that she was one of Hyrule's biggest and constant threats, she and the rest of her allies were perfectly hidden between the unsuspecting crowd.

That was the only reason why she couldn't ditch this mission. Part of Sheik just wished for cry out for help, to just grab Ashei and get her to safety, to just finally... find her way back home.

But it was all wishful thinking. She wouldn't be able to ask for help even if she wanted, not with all that blood that dirtied her hands and would never be able to wash away.

Right now, all she needed to do was to finish this mission with as little casualties as possible and hope that the Mistress didn't feel upset with them once it was done.

She checked several Inns, unsurprisingly most of them were packed, but none so far seemed to have booked or seen the man she was searching. Sheik just hoped that Ashei fared better.

At the last Inn, a modest-looking place, she was fortunate enough to find who seemed to be a merchant (she was able to tell by the sizeable backpacks he carried), a young man who was just booking in early for the day.

She put up an innocent act with no effort, tapping gently at his shoulder. He was extremely tall and had deep brown skin with dark hair tied in a small bun, there was something strangely regal about his features.

“Don't want to be a bother, but it seems like you're a trader yourself. I was wondering, didn't a mask merchant come to trade in this town as well?” she asked. His large bushy brows arched at her question.

“Oh... _that guy._ Yeah. I thought that he'd be selling somewhere at the main square, but don't take me too seriously: he seems more like the kind of person who'd be selling in a dark alleyway.” he said, his voice was unexpectedly youthful. “You're actually the second person to ask me about him. Is there a theater troupe showing up for the festival or something?”

“Not sure about that, but I'm interested in the masks he sells” she lied, as she eyed the animal bone sticking out from the merchant's bag. “... May I see what you have too?”

“Sorry, I was closed for today... But, oh well, can't say ‘no’ to a pretty girl”, the young man shrugged and with the Innkeeper's permission he opened up his bag to show her his wares.

It wasn't like she truly needed to see them or that she had the time, but she already bothered to pickpocket people on her way; it'd be a waste to not buy anything on the go. She was surprised to see how many bone jewelry he had, but that wasn't all.

“This is... a Joy Pendant, right?” The butterfly-looking pendant caught her eye almost immediately, how the bone and precious metal beautifully merged, it was basically a perfect copy of the one that she's seen a long time ago.

The merchant was beaming. “'Tis the real deal. 100% Bokoblin-made.”

“Huh... so they are made by them? I've only seen people trying to replicate these, but it was said that real ones can only be found among bokoblins.”

The young man grimaced a little. “They use that wording, yes, just to not admit that bokoblins are the ones who craft them _butwhateverGarsonnobodycares_...” he grumbled lowly, Sheik didn't quite hear that, it appeared to have touched a nerve. “Anyhow, the quality is superb, and I'm pretty sure you won't find anyone else in town offering you this in such perfect conditions.”

“... How much?”

“It's 150 rupees.”

A little expensive for a trinket, but it wasn't like it hurt Sheik to part with that money. She wordlessly paid the exact amount to him and then stored the pendant safely in her pouch. The merchant just quietly thanked her for doing business with him and she bowed her head to him out of courtesy. The merchant just pulled his bag up again and glanced back at the Innkeeper.

“So, can I put my things already in my room? I'll be out until night.”

The elder man shrugged uninterested. “Suit yourself, lad.”

The merchant just waved at Sheik. “Good afternoon, and thanks.”

Sheik had to stop herself from smiling too much, but having a friendly human interaction with someone outside of the Yiga was such a rare treat, she needed to treasure it for as long as she could.

Evening was soon to come and it'd be time to leave. The dark alleyways were beckoning her and they would make her job infinitely easier now. It was so strangely perfect.

She prepared the rope and fastened her hair, keeping her weapons secured in their hidden place; she'd make sure that they'd remain unused this time.

* * *

“Link! Help, Link!” when the knight on duty turned around, he saw as the youngest daughter of the judge sprinted at him with her face red, eyes almost watering. “Link! My little brother and his friends are enchanted by some weird-looking guy and he’s taking them away!”

The little girl had good instincts, and he knew better than to dismiss such a heartfelt plea. “Where did they go?”

“The guy was playing a scary melody with the flute! The boys were following him like ducklings!”

“Dana, where did they go?” he repeated louder, just enough to not upset the girl.

The girl pointed southwest, presumably to the crops on the town's outskirts. Link did not waste his time to whistle at his fellow guardsmen and quickly take their steeds to search for the kids and the suspect on the run.

It would make sense if the stranger tried to slip by the crops, people were so busy harvesting to notice visitors, and guards were more focused on protecting the farmers. He never thought that any outsider would notice anything about this issue, but if he learned anything about his years of experience, the Yiga clansmen's intelligence couldn't be underestimated.

And this wasn't the first time they attempted to kidnap children in this town. He had known that when he was a little boy that at least five children were taken away to never be heard from again.

He had to push his mare too early, and it was a little dangerous to run in town among too many more people than usual, but it couldn't be helped. The only positive side of this situation was that it wasn't nighttime yet, so escape would be harder for the ruffians.

His squad, led by their elder captain ran around the crop grounds, and they immediately noticed that there was a commotion already, two guards down while several farmers were crying out for help.

His gut had been correct, and on top of that the kidnapper had already been discovered. Good. This would make the ruffian more nervous and likely to commit more mistakes. Help would arrive for the hurt, so there was no time to waste.

On the horizon, where the fields began to stretch before their eyes, a man on a car pulled by horses was on the run, and that's when his captain ordered Link to take aim. He was their best archer after all, but Link knew he'd hate himself if he accidentally hit one of the horses. Then again, children's lives were at stake here, so he couldn't afford to hesitate.

And then, the soil exploded. Several red explosives went off practically on his squadron's faces, horses panicking and some of them ended up knocking their riders off, but Link and his captain managed to keep themselves steady. “Link, w-we can't stop now, keep going!”

The fugitive driver was sharp, he turned left towards a steep hill where a large grove started, so it would make it harder for the riders to catch up to him, but Link knew these treacherous paths all too well to be fooled.

His mottled mare Fien, as if driven by a telepathic connection, started to gallop even faster without his master even telling her to, she knew the paths among the trees as well as he did. Before the driver realized, Link was just a few meters close to the car, his bow readied.

When Link got close enough to take a closer look into the car, and he distinguished three children and two young women on the back huddled next to each other, but the ruffian yelled something and darted a knife into Link's direction. Foolish decision. If he intended to stop him he should've aimed to his mare.

Link reacted with lightning-like speed, swinging the metallic handle of his bow to deflect the blade, and promptly fired two arrows in quick succession.

One of them got the kidnapper in the arm and other in the chest. He yelped in pain, but remained steady on his seat, not yet incapacitated. Link readied another set of arrows...

That's when one of the women inside the car moved, the small woman wearing blue. Before Link could register what was going on, he watched how she pulled a small bow of her own and fired at him.

It was naïve of him to assume that the man was working alone.

Link couldn't do as much as to bend his legs as to avoid his feet got caught in the chair's stirrup when he fell down. The impact against his back knocked the air out of him, and his vision blurred around the terrible ache on his chest. Fien neighed distressed, her legs fidgeted as if she feared accidentally stepping on her master.

His adrenaline-driven brain forced him out of the stupor to get him back up before his captain called out to him. No, they couldn't stop for his sake, not with the children still in danger. “The children! Save the children!” Link roared in pain.

Two arrows were sticking out of Link’s chest and shoulder, and Link was mildly thankful that he wore a thick layered leather plate, otherwise the arrows would've definitely pierced him. He couldn't fathom that archer's terrible strength if that double-shot was able to literally kick him off of his own horse.

It didn't matter though, he needed to get back on his feet and rescue the children before the Yiga could outrun them... Carefully be plucked out the arrows from his chest-plate, feeling the itch of their tips that barely punctured his skin.

He could observe how the car with the horses was running through the green plains, but just about when Link struggled to get back on Fien's chair, he noted another figure on the top of a distant hill.

There was a pitch-black figure on top of a large horse, the way they rose their hand up to the skies felt somehow... foreboding.

And suddenly, out of nowhere, the car horses freaked out and stopped on their tracks, making the driver fly past them and land painfully on the grasslands. The car collapsed to the side. Link already directed Fien to the spot of the crash, feeling increasingly concerned over the childrens' safety.

Link was still hurt, he knew he'd be at a disadvantage if he engaged in a physical fight, but he had no choice.

His captain already came to check on the damaged cart, but he was pushed back by a sickle-wielding woman. Both of them now wore masks with the Inverted Eye, and that's when Link drew his sword and shield without thinking. The children were still inside the car. But Link's attention was divided between the Yiga women and the ground, the skeletal hands that sprouted from the ground that kept the horses' legs in an iron-grip...

A sharp terrible sound suddenly filled the air, the pitch of that sound was so high that he felt like it'd pierce his ears just like arrows, Link gasped in pain and winced, trying his hardest to not keel over. He forgot about the driver, who was now blowing into the flute that Dana mentioned before. But judging from how the women cringed, they were not immune to the shrieking sound of that flute; even so, it didn't stop the woman in red to swish out her sickle and attack him with a brutish war cry.

Link moved just fast enough to deflect the strike with his shield, but he couldn't stop the woman in blue from landing an extraordinary kick to the shield and making him fall back again. He rolled to the side, swinging his sword to keep them at bay. They repeated the process, but each new movement became duller and clumsier on all three sides, to the point in which it was hard to tell who was winning. The flute's song was clearly hindering everyone's capacity to fight, but the flutist didn't seem to care if it also affected his allies.

Just when it felt like the song was about the make his eardrums explode, it was stopped abruptly by the flutist's scream. When Link looked back again, he saw a dark young man towering over the powerless ruffian, pummeling him with his fists.

Taking the opportunity, Link quickly pushed himself over again and quickly closed the distance between them by ramming his shield into the woman wearing red and jammed the pommel of his sword to the one wearing blue. The red one fell sprawling to the ground, but the blue one managed to avoid the hit, and jumped back. Link was prepared for a counter-strike, but instead, he watched how she jumped to pick up her comrade and glared daggers at him through her mask before using a smoke technique that exploded in a orange glow and red charms. Link charged his sword towards them, but he slashed at nothing but air and papers.

Link dropped on his knees, between jagged breaths he called out his captain, who was still recovering from the onslaught of noise, and just then the rest of their squadron was arriving to the scene on their horses, wondering about what just happened. That's when Link looked into the car’s wagon.

The three young boys were all there, still unconscious and seemingly untouched. Both him and the captain sighed in unison, it was reassuring that at least the Yiga didn’t physically harm any of them.

Link noticed that the flutist also disappeared in a cloud of orange smoke, the young dark man was in place, looking both confused and relieved. And that’s when Link realized that their unnamed savior was the same weird guy who was selling bokoblin-craft at the main square market.

His first immediate thought was that he was glad someone of that hulking size wasn’t merely for show.

“Oh, hey, it's you again!” said the youth arching his bushy brows, recognizing him too.

The captain had no idea of what happened, but he was more than glad to give his appreciation to the heroic stranger, all the squad arriving to check on the stolen car and the horses. The children began to wake up and subsequently cry in confusion asking for their parents, and all of them immediately went to cling to Link like a big brother.

Before they prepared to quickly survey the area for the Yiga escapees, Link briefly noticed that there were dirty small bones lying in the place where the flutist used to stand. They were safe already, but he couldn’t stop the rising uneasiness within his chest as his eyes darted back to the mysterious young man. It was beginning to get dark too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the first chapter! I will be updating this next week.   
> Any feedback or kudos are very appreciated.


	2. Unbenign

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, please leave kudos or your feedback. I'd appreciate it a lot!

She tied the man to hang upside down, she didn't need to use too much force to knock him unconscious, but once she began to open his bags he seemed to have shaken himself awake. Sheik tried to not be fazed by this, so she only made sure half of her face was hidden under her muffler. This was fortunately an isolated alley, and if he screamed, help would take its time to come.

“Oh, is there anything I can do to help you, young one?” the extremely casual voice of the Mask Salesman caught her off-guard, but she didn't react. It was odd that a man would be so calm in a situation like this and she was used to weirdos... however, she couldn't shake off how that saccharine voice managed to send chills down her spine. She attempted to shrug it off by emptying the large bag with little regard for the objects that fell on the ground. “...Or maybe you could just ask me to show you my wares, there's that. A mask that you've got in mind?”

Again, she ignored him, the masks were all wrapped in cloth to keep them from getting damaged, and from what Sheik could see, each mask was unique and eccentric. She knew they were not regular masks, as whenever her fingers passed one to the other, she could sense deep in her gut the strange power that they possessed. There were masks made of bone, stone, wood and leather, some resembled faces of people and others were creatures she couldn't describe... But no matter how many masks she looked over, Sheik couldn't find what she was looking for.

“The Eye.” She turned around, his head was at her neck-level, so he could see how her silver dagger's edge curved towards his throat.

“... Pardon?” For a moment he seemed scared.

“You have the Eye of Truth. Tell me where it is.”

“My, and why would I risk having such a valuable item with me? What use would I have for it?”

She pressed the sharp tip against his neck, barely enough that one wrong movement could slice his throat open. Her only eye burned a glare into him, secretly begging him to not make her hurt him.

“Where. Is. It.” she rasped under her muffler.

However, the merchant seemed incredibly calm, his small heavy-lidded eyes looked at her with no hint of malice. Sheik didn't like that, it was as if he could see right through her. The dagger was heavy in her hand.

“I can tell you where to find it. But what would you do with it if it was in your hands? Is what you want the same what your master wants?”

Sheik did not respond, just kept still, her knife unyielding but her mind in disarray. Why would this stranger act as if he knew her? What good it'd do to him to pretend to offer his sympathy?

The Mask Salesman smiled mysteriously. “You can find what you're looking for in the right side bag. I imagine that you cannot afford to return empty handed.”

With only a sliver of hesitation, Sheik went to inspect the bag once more. There was a sealed scroll inside... and Sheik was about to open it until she heard him speak again:

“Say, young one, how much do you know of the Blood Moon?”

Her fingers stiffened as her eye darted at him. Hundreds of things rushed into her mind at once, as if she’s been hit by a violent gust of wind. The red glow of the moon at the night, the tense thrum of an old lyre, the head of a boar, eyes that burned like sun, the distinct smell of rot… It took all her strength to maintain her composure enough to form her own words again.

“… What do _you_ know?”

“Oh, I was correct after all?” he grinned, but his voice couldn’t conceal his dismay. “It must be fate that you of all people had to find me here.”

Those words alone were enough to make her flinch violently at the prospect. Sheik wanted to make him spill all that he knew, but she was also deeply aware that she was running out of time, she secured the scroll in her bag hurriedly as she responded.

“I cannot stay here.” she huffed, but her feet hesitated to make her run immediately.

“And I won’t impose. But… oh, well. I’m sure that you’ll find me with ease now that we know each other. Next time though… try not to knock me out.”

Sheik turned and ran, trying to not acknowledge the man’s words.

There was a weird sort of lightness running throughout her veins as she went to find Ashei. Just as much bitterness was embed to that newfound hope. She didn’t know what to do with it yet, but her heart fluttered with the thoughts that maybe this man was the key to her redemption. Or perhaps the harbinger of her doom. Either way, she couldn’t break free yet.

* * *

By midnight, it seemed like the rumors of this crisis were stopped before taking off, the fact that the worst outcome was prevented made it easier for the words of the incident to not spread. The Harvest Festival would continue as planned. However, that only meant that Link and his peers would be worked to the bone in the following days, and his wounds weren't serious enough to ensure him a vacation.

It was going to a hassle and it would undoubtedly ruin the weekend for those who wished to take days off, but Link, in spite of his fellow guard knight's complaints, felt satisfied that at least he managed to save the children.

Nobody was given the time to get to know the young merchant who helped to stop the Yiga clansmen from taking the children, as he quickly faded into obscurity after the resolution, not waiting for the guards to thank him for the aid. That sort of bravery was well-commended for a civilian... but Link suspected that the youth couldn't be just a civilian.

Link knew well what he saw back then, and it was hard to ignore in his line of work.

But nonetheless they had to help restore order, so Link’s concerns would have to wait.

After making his first shift rounds throughout the crops field, Link he helped a couple of old men to get their cucco chicks off the rooftops (somehow he could never refuse to do weird jobs even if he had better things to do) in the middle of the night. Not the best way that he planned to spend his break, but he just couldn't say no to such sweet old men.

But other thing that had been bothering him was that he noticed the odd young merchant watching him from the distance.

“Thank you, we've been unable to go to sleep because of that horrible attack, all our cuccos were scared out of their feathers.”

Link nodded before seeing the old men go back into their home. “You will be fine. I'll be making rounds over here tomorrow too.”

“Oh, Goddess bless you, Link.”

When Link turned around, the merchant was still there, more plainly in sight, as if somehow aware that it didn't look good to stalk a knight from the shadows. The young man was much taller than he thought, seemed to be in good shape too since the incident a few hours ago.

“That was so valiant, and without ladders too!” His voice was odd, too deep for a kid, but the tone was too youthful for a grown man. Either way, it didn't seem to be forcing that friendliness. “I saw how you fought out there, so good it's scary. Are you some sort of local hero?”

There was no outer indication that should point Link towards thinking that this man was up to no-good, but he just couldn't stop thinking about what he witnessed and the sort of feelings it awoke within him. It was like a hidden instinct nagging at him in the back of his head, telling him to not let his guard down in front of this young man.

Link walked calmly around him, trying to relax his face. “Maybe. Are you some sort of wizard?”

The other put his hands on the air. “Just a humble merchant with a few tricks under his sleeve.”

“... Raising the dead doesn't seem like a small feat. That's dark magic.”

It was barely perceptible, but Link noticed him tense his mouth. “It is. But I used it for good, didn't I? Don't tell me that you're some sort of magic purist. Please don't go out of your way to tell on me, I'd have to put a curse on you.” Link stood still and waited. The other snorted lightly, passed close enough to Link to tap him on the shoulder. “I’m kidding.”

Link sighed. He berated himself internally for jumping to bad conclusions. The day had been rough enough already, he was hurt and dirty and needed some rest to clear his thoughts, otherwise his paranoia was going to get him killed; this young man just happened to be kind enough to endure this bad mood.

“Just... don't cause any trouble.”

“I wasn't going to, but now I'm tempted to dye every guard's uniform to bright green.”

“Please don't.”

His smile was playful in a childish sense. “Yeah, I'm still not good at magically dying clothes anyway...”

Link squinted at him, the contrast alone between their moods was exhausting him already.

“You're… a little weird.”

“I can't debate against that, but hey, the world would be a very boring place without folk like me, yes?”

Link tried to not smile back. Couldn't deny that his good humor was contagious. The tall young man stretched his arms casually and made evident how small Link was in comparison, but he didn't let it intimidate him.

“Anyhow, sorry for suddenly leaving the scene of the heist, I just don’t, uh, like the attention that much. I admit it was nice playing the hero for a day, but I have a busy day tomorrow... and I think you do too. Have a good one.”

Link tried to not think of what happened when he headed back to his mother's house. He passed out cold on his bed, ready to put this hectic day behind him.

* * *

The following morning, he was awakened by the warm scent of baked eggs, bread and freshly made tomato sauce. His stomach growled angrily, urging him to get up and go to the kitchen where his mother was already waiting for him. Not to mention, he needed to be on duty for the whole day too.

His house wasn't always clean nowadays, but it always had a warm comforting air in it no matter the season. The walls were covered with dusty arms and shields that his father loved collecting, and there was a small bookshelf where a few worn books stood, most of the furniture was occupied by figurines of fairies and sepia pictographs of the three together. Since pictographs were still a novelty and expensive to get, his mother treasured them above anything else.

When he walked into the cluttered kitchen, he greeted his mother Olivia quietly as he sat down on one of the three empty chairs. He treated himself with the milk bottle on the table, and served some more to the second glass for his mother too.

“How did you sleep? Oh, breakfast is ready, take a bath after you're done eating or it will get cold.” Olivia beamed, through her more recent wrinkles.

His mother was a pretty small woman, and people would often mention how much he got out of her appearance wise, from her height to the sweet color of her hair. Of course, it was hard to tell nowadays since her lovely pink hair was slowly fading out with gray.

They sat and shared a brief mutual silence in contemplation... each time was getting easier than the last; it meant that their wounds were healing. When they started to eat, he picked up the gazette from today, unsurprised that only a small text block was used to talk about the attempted kidnapping, the authorities probably wanted to focus the attention on the festival as much as possible.

“You know... Tarot's daughter just came early this morning to bring me this milk, ain't she a sweetheart? She also asked about you, so I told her it'd be fine if she could come visit at night.”

Link tensed. “Mom... No.”

“Why not? She's a pretty lady, around your age and, luckily, she’s still single”, his mother tilted her head, she dropped her spoon on her plate to put her hand on his, her eyes were not as insistent as they were... sad. “Just give her a chance, that's all I'm asking, dear. You're 27 already. It's past time that you started thinking on settling down, making a family.”

“But _you_ are my family” he murmured, unable to take his hand away.

It wasn't like his mother couldn't take care of herself or that he was too dependent on her, Link simply didn't feel like he needed to 'settle down' in that sense. Since his father quietly passed away last year, Link made sure to help her out with the house in every way possible, but even though they could share bits of happiness in their precious time together, he could tell how it greatly weighed on her as the days went by.

To be forced to reflect on the mortality of your loved ones and oneself was a terrible thing indeed.

Maybe she was right: he stopped being a boy long ago and most men his age were already married and with kids. Yet, he couldn't help to not care about marriage, let alone, having a girlfriend. Was that really so wrong?

“At least... promise me you'll try to get to know more women, Link. I won't be here for you forever, and if I have to leave this world, at least I want to know that you'll have someone at your side who will care for you.”

Of course, he couldn't say all of what he thought to his mother right now, not when she was still mourning the passing of his father... But the prospect of marriage was still so deeply scary for him. He didn't want to marry while he still felt incomplete, unrealized. He didn't want to marry while not knowing exactly what he wanted out of life.

He finished his breakfast and hurried to prepare for his shift, hoping that no more kidnappers would ruin his day.

* * *

The worst part was the wait.

The gap between firmly locking their gazes to the ground when the report was given and the response of the Mistress once she finished analyzing every bit of information was more often than not the most dreaded moment for every Yiga subordinate. It was even worse when they knew that half of their mission resulted in failure; Sheik did bring back something pertaining their quest and that was perhaps the only saving grace of this mess of a heist. Upon offering the scroll from the Mask Salesman, Sheik had to suppress that small grain of doubt, desperately hoping that she wasn't mistaken by taking the words of the Mask Salesman for granted.

But eventually it the tension in the air lessened significantly as the Mistress finally spoke.

“I'd normally be upset with you reporting back so late, and with Laeg's catastrophic failure, I was in a dreadful mood... But after taking a good look at this scroll, I can recognize it's authenticity. I must praise your success, Ashei, Sheik.” Sheik tried to not release the breath she had been holding, but she couldn't help to feel relieved. Of course Sheik had to modify some details of the report in order to give Ashei as much credit, otherwise her partner would also share the brunt of Laeg's punishment. “You're both dismissed.”

With that said, the girls kept still until they heard the Mistress leave by closing her chamber's door, it was considered an insult to raise their heads unless they were explicitly told to rise before she left a room. Ashei sighed and removed her mask, her forehead was damp in sweat.

“That... went unexpectedly well. I thought that she'd be pulling any excuse to send us back to the iron room”, she murmured, trying to not walk away too fast from the hall.

“I'm hungry. Let's dine”, Sheik muttered, heading to the fortress' dinning hall.

Since the clan's hidden 'village' was seated deep inside the mountains of Gerudo, most of the precinct was hidden within caves and underground tunnels, and there was only a precious few man-made spaces with windows. What it was once a large temple dedicated to the worship of what might've been three goddesses of old was now a place to house the deadliest clan in Hyrule.

During this season there was a greater sense of peace and quiet in the temple, given that the young were taken to train to the snowy mountains this time of the year and wouldn't be coming back until the end of fall. Year after year, children would return from the mountains hardened by their ordeals. Surprisingly, nobody had died off from those pilgrimages in years... the Mistress made sure of that. It was said that before she took over, children were not often so lucky, but with all things considered: was surviving any better?

Once the girls could take their own food out of the kitchen, they sat in a dark corner of the hall, nobody else was there except them and two blademasters on the other side speaking to each other.

Ashei took a long sip to her water. “I wonder what's the Mistress going to do to Laeg.”

“The screams will let us know.” Sheik acted aloof even though she didn't mean to sound that way, but there was nothing she could feel or do for Laeg. “Better to not think about it.”

“... Indeed.” Ashei nodded, pensively tapping her fingers on her let her be at her thoughts, she simply decided to finish up her dry banana bread and water in silence, it usually helped to let Ashei think without pushing her to speak her mind.

She then looked back at her in the eye with a lingering uncertainty.

“You know... That was the first time I've ever seen Stalkin during daylight. You saw them too, didn't you?” Sheik slowed her chewing as she gave meaning to Ashei's words. The Stalkin were the reanimated bones of the dead that normally came during the night, yet during that fight, she clearly saw how the skeleton arms sprouted from the ground and grabbed the horses and Laeg, turning the tide against them.

“... I'm aware that raising the dead through dark magic only works during night, but whoever cast such a powerful spell during daylight could only be a dangerous warlock or an extremely dangerous dark spirit.”

“And the worst part of all is that they're not on our side. This is going to anger Mistress Melana.”

Sheik nodded, it might as well just pique the Mistress's interest. Dark magic was something that she could never have enough in her ranks.

It was better to not inquire much on that in this place, the Mistress was busy enough trying to find the Eye of Truth, besides, Laeg would inform her anyway about what exactly happened during the mission... if he didn't pass out too soon during the punishment. This was but another trouble for another day.

“It was nice while it lasted though. I wish I could’ve stayed to see the harvest festival’s beginning ceremony. I heard it was nice…” Ashei mumbled very low, so low that not even the mice could listen.

“I thought that large crowds made you nervous.”

“Only when there’s little room to walk. I bet I could’ve taken a seat on a rooftop to watch the music and fireworks start from afar.”

“That sounds nice” Sheik replied softly. It was dangerous to encourage thoughts like that, but not every wall in their precinct had ears to tell them off from beautiful thoughts.

Which reminded her...

Sheik pulled something out of her pocket, nearly forgetting about what she bought. “I... found this at the market. I have no use for it, but I think that you do.”

“It's a real Joy Pendant?” Ashei's eyes lighted up upon recognizing the trinket, Sheik put it in her hand and she was speechless for a minute.

One of the things that helped Ashei as a child to get through the day was the Joy Pendant she used to have, the one last remnant she possessed of her previous life. Even though she couldn't remember why, the pendant appeared to be very important, so Ashei entrusted Sheik with the secret... Until other kids found out about it. Ashei's pendant disappeared one day and Sheik confronted other kids about it; through threats and intimidation she ended up making them confess that the pendant was taken by the blademasters when one careless kid was flaunting it in the training grounds, which meant that the pendant was as good as gone. The children were not allowed contact with objects from the outside world, to avoid 'contaminating their minds' with ideas that contradicted the Yiga.

“I know it won't replace the one you lost, but you were happier when you had one.”

“Don't you mean more… _Joyful_?” Ashei snickered, Sheik smirked and gently punched the other girl's arm. “Thanks. I'll repay it to you somehow.”

Ashei had been the first real friend she made in this place, both quiet but scared girls buried within a world of scarlet walls and dim candlelight, they found comfort in each other. That was why Sheik had been able to maintain her sanity so far, otherwise...

“Sheik. Come to me.”

The voice the Mistress broke through them and Sheik's heart froze. Ashei only closed her palm around the pendant, slowly trying to dissimulate the trinket in her hand as she bowed down. Sheik only walked towards the woman in perfect calmness, no questions asked and no hesitation in her steps; she knew exactly how to behave after so many years of dealing with her attention.

They walked back to her chambers, Sheik always walking at a perfectly measured distance behind the Mistress. Even though Sheik walked with such natural stealth, by looking at the tail of the woman's dark gown dragging smoothly on the floor, it was impossible to see her heels touching the silk, almost as if she was merely gliding through the air instead of walking. Hadn't Sheik known better, she'd be certain that the woman wasn't even human.

Upon arrival, she closed the doors of the chamber without being told, such was routine. The mistress' private chambers always smelled like incense, there were never enough lights lit to see the corners of the room, but one could still see the great amount of ancient relics carefully displayed, everything from many distinct cultures, all of them preluding bad omens. It couldn't be healthy to stay surrounded by so many cursed objects for so long...

“Remove your hood”, she commanded, but her voice turned softer. Sheik obeyed and lift her face enough to make eye contact.

At that moment, the Mistress carefully removed the mask she always needed to wear outside. Sheik didn't budge, she was already used to seeing the Mistress without the Yiga mask... and Sheik knew that she was possibly one of the few people who were allowed the privilege to see the face of the Mistress.

The terrifying person underneath the mask was just a plain-looking woman with brown hair and small eyes, her paleness was evident and so was her young age; it was widely accepted by the clansmen that she couldn't be older than 40.

Whenever she showed her face to Sheik, it just filled the girl with unspeakable dread and conflict, especially when her face looked so painfully human... almost motherly in a strange way. Her long fingers touched Sheik's face and she tried not to flinch, but her heart was getting out of control, even though her fingers were warm and tenderly brushed Sheik's bangs back. “There we go... Have you been practicing your archery lately?” Sheik merely nodded in silence, focusing in the woman's mouth instead of her eyes. She smiled with warmth. “Good.”

Sheik always felt empty inside whenever Mistress Melana acted this way, knowing of what terrible things she was capable of and every single instance of abuse endured under her thumb, Sheik always had a bad time reconciling these two sides about the woman who raised her... It took Sheik years to mentally eviscerate this vile manipulation.

The Mistress' fingers gently caressed the skin beneath the empty socket of her left eye, Sheik repressed a shiver running down her spine; the woman looked sad. “Not a single day passes when I don't regret doing this to you. I'm sorry.”

Sheik clenched her fists in secret.

The Mistress let go of Sheik's face and gracefully walked to the other side of her chamber, right to the heavy doors that guided into a well-known room that Sheik knew all too well.

“But you know why it must be this way. Can't afford anyone's will to dwindle under my care. I must show everyone why it's so important to own up to one’s mistakes, because to each precious action there is a consequence. And now... I think Laeg's stupid course of actions led him to this outcome. Despite being outmaneuvered, he hindered your tasks with his stupidity, did he not?”

“... Yes.” Sheik murmured with her heart pulsing in her throat.

The door creaked loudly and guided them into an even darker room, where the air was stank of iron and wetness. The pained breathing of a person echoed inside that place. The Mistress put her mask back on and tilted her head at Sheik. When she approached, the Mistress offered a thin iron pike, Sheik had no choice but to take it even though she was starting to feel sick.

“Then you're in your right to show him the consequences. Do be kind to him though: after all, he did lead us to the Mask Merchant’s location.” But Sheik didn't move, her feet suddenly felt so heavy and she internally panicked, fearing what'd happen next. However, instead of brutal violence, Sheik just felt a gentle nudge at her back. “Go on, I don't need to guide your hand anymore, my child.”

She stepped into the room and stayed there until the Mistress was satisfied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to draw a chart with the main characters, but I don't know if I have the time for that because it maye make me delay the next chapter. Oh, who knows.
> 
> Please leave your feedback, it'd help me a lot to find motivation to keep writing!


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